Outlet fixture for fluid media

ABSTRACT

An essential contactless control means is provided for operating a device which mixes and discharges two fluid media such as water faucet for discharging a temperature controlled mixture of hot and cold water. In the case of the water faucet, for example, the hot and cold water flow to the mixing chamber of the faucet is controlled by a pair of magnetic valves, preferably operated by an electronic circuit, which opens the valves when the hand or an object approaches the control antenna of the circuit. In this device, expensive separate additional controls are eliminated by providing the magnetic valves with manually adjustable knobs.

The invention concerns a preferably contactless electronicallycontrolled outlet fixture for fluid media, e.g., a water faucet. Ifdesired, a fluid protected push button or toggle switch can be providedfor operating the fixture.

Usually, water discharge fixtures, as they are and chiefly found forexample on washing stands, consist of a mixing chamber to which supplylines for hot and cold water are connected for mixing the same. Not onlythe quantity of water altogether, but also the proportion of hot andcold water and thereby the water temperature can be regulated by handmanipulation.

An effort is now being made to broaden the zones of use of such waterdischarge fittings, preferebly on hygienic grounds, to avoid contactwith the operating means. Such requirements are encountered especiallyin laboratories, in operating rooms, generally speaking, in medicine,but also in food and luxury operations.

Further considerations are concerned with the saving of water. With thekind of contactless operating fixture, as investigations have shown, aconsiderable amount of savings is possible without reducing theessential requirements. Thus, it is considered that savings can be made,especially on the consumption at wash stands of households and infactories, governmental agencies and administrations.

Similar situations also exist for fixtures for other fluid media. Thus,for example, a contactless functioning fixture can find useadvantageously as a mixing device for motor fuel for two cycle motorsand generally any place where different fluid media are to be mixed.

With respect to the above outlined considerations, proposals havealready been made to control the water discharge fixture by ultra sound.In this set up, a sender and a receiver for ultrasonic control means isprovided under the water fixture which on approaching, opens themagnetic valve in the water supply. To this apparatus, a thermostat forestablishing the desired water temperature is connected which must beoperated by hand. This whole arrangement is really expensive from thepoint of view of size and cost and can, therefore, at best be consideredonly in relationship with the operating room or the like.

Other proposals relate to the control of the water flow by means of theso-called "sensors" which practically are antennas of an electroniccontrol circuit, which switch on upon approach and thus can bedesignated as approach switches. A known embodiment with such sensorsprovides that by approaching, on the right side of the water course,e.g., a magnetic valve in the cold water supply and by approaching onthe left side, a magnetic valve in the hot water supply is switched on.When both valves are switched, mixed hot and cold water flows out, thetemperature of which can be previously regulated by means of a separatecut-off valve. Also, this arrangement is fairly expensive, necessitatinga separate arrangement of electronic control in a suitable housing andthe services of a cut-off valve for the adjustment to the desiredtemperature of the mixed water, provided as mentioned above, which isnot on or in the immediate vicinity of the water supply.

As stated, the known arrangements are overly expensive and are, in fact,so costly that they have limited use for many applications.

This invention, accordingly, is based on the problem of building acontrolled outlet for fluid media, preferably controlled by anassociated or built-in electronic circuit, which moreover is improved asa mixing means for different media, e.g. for hot and cold water, whichis compact in structure and is moderately priced, however at the sametime, taking into account, above all, that it has a great sphere ofutility, especially in households.

The invention solves the problem set forth through an improved mixingmeans with a manipulatable outlet for fluid media, preferably controlledby a built-in electronic control means, wherein two magnetic valves forthe feeding of the two media are provided, whose opening and closingstrokes are controlled by the associated electronic control, wherein thevalves moreover are equippped with manually rotatable knobs foradjusting the flow. The associated electronic circuit is accommodated inthe known way in the base of the outlet, which also has the operatingantenna as the associated switch for the electronic circuit. Instead ofthis built-in circuit switch, a simple moisture protected toggle orpush-button switch can be provided.

It provides also a compact unit in which all control and regulatingparts, as well as the electronics are contained in the fixture, as alsoare the manual controls. The structure is not only compact, but alsosimple and inexpensive, since just two regulatable magnetic valves arenecessary, which are not only electronically controllable, but also handregulatable. The control possibilities satisfy all usual requirements ofsuch fixtures. The flow of the media is released, preferablycontactless, only by the approach, for example, to a water outlet of theto-be-cleansed hand or object. The total desired amount of the media andthe desired proportions of the media in the mixture, e.g., the watertemperature, can be regulated immediately manually, at the outlet.

Advantageously, and in an improved form of the invention, both valvesare equipped with a follower between the magnetic shifting bolt and themagnetic striking bolt, so that the media supply can also be opened byhand operation if the current source for the electronic control shouldfail.

Instead of a magnetic valve with a valve cap positioned on a valve seat,a magnetic valve with a retractable membrane operated by a magneticshifting bolt, can be provided to advantage.

Thereby, the functionability of such an outlet device can be essentiallyimproved. The valve with a valve disk or cap lying on a valve seatrequires a not insignificant expenditure of force for operation. Just asthis force or energy consumption is important, the construction andfunctioning is influenced greatly. By the proposed membrane variation ofthe invention, the opening and closing of the valve results with thecooperation of the water pressure. The magnetic tripping at any giventime only starts the opening and closing process which directs theessential release.

For the volume regulation, a quantity regulation is provided in the formof a tubular sleeve having a screw thread on the back side, whichencircles the magnetic bolt and its spring. Through lengthwise shiftingof the volume regulator, by means of a hand operable rotating knob whichinteracts with the screw threads, the membrane can be limited in itsfree movement and thereby the volume of flow through of the mediumdetermined. The tubular sleeve has a longitudinal slit in which a lugslidable therewith, engages in order to guarantee a longitudinalmovement of the tubular housing without rotation.

Here also, in order to guarantee an emergency use of the fixture byfailure of the magnetic valves, the tubular sleeve of the volumeregulator can be provided, at the end thereof adjacent the end of themagnetic bolt, with an inwardly projecting bead or flange whichcooperates with a corresponding shoulder on the magnetic bolt. With thehelp of this means, the magnetic shifting pin can be lifted manually,e.g., when there is a failure of current, so that then the fixtureremains fully operable.

The invention will be further explained in the following description ofthe reproduced embodiments of the invention somewhat schematically shownin the attached drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view, partly in section, of mixing type of waterfaucet.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the water faucet of FIG. 1, partly in section.

FIG. 3 is a showing of a modified form of the invention.

The water faucet of FIG. 1 shows the essential water outlet 1 whichforms the upper continuation of the fixture 2. In the housing 2, thereis sufficient space in this middle area 3 for the accommodation of theelectronic switch and its antenna 4. The electronic circuit comprises aknown switching circuit element and operates with a current of 24 voltswhich, e.g., can be obtained for disposal to all units from an existingmeter or fuse box present in all houses or apartments.

At both sides of the water outlet 1, two magnetic valves 5 and 6 arearranged which are controllable by the hand knobs 7 and 8. A connectionof the magnetic coil 9 of the magnetic valve with the electronic circuit40 occurs over appropriate lines which are passed through a boring 10 inhousing 11 of the magnetic valves. The housing 2 of the fixture has nearthe interior space 3, two water chambers 13 and 14 for hot and coldwater. Thus, e.g., the chamber 13 can be the hot water chamber with aconnection 15 for the hot water conduit and the chamber 14, the coldwater chamber with the connection 16 for the cold water conduit. Belowthe water outlet 1, in the upper area of the housing 2 is found thewater mixing chamber 17, which obviously, to begin with, is separatedfrom the hot water and cold water chambers. As can be recognized, aconnection can be established by means of the valve, as is clear in theleft hand area of FIG. 1, which shows the hot water valve incross-section. Here, the passage between the hot water chamber 13 andthe mixing chamber 17 is closed when the valve cap 19 rests on the valveseat 18. The structure of the cold water valve corresponds in alldetails to that of the hot water valve.

In the magnetic valve, a magnetic plunger or bolt 20 is arranged whichis constructed on the rear side of the valve cap 19. It is, moveover,provided in the usual way with a resetting spring 21. Such a spring (notshown) can also be arranged on a retaining means 25 at the rear surfaceinteriorly of the magnetic bolt. Moreover, a magnetic stopping bolt 22is found in the interior of the valve which is fixed on the rotatableknob 7. In the area of the magnetic stopping bolt 22, moreover, apacking 23 is found. The rotatable knob 7 is connected below by a steepscrew thread 24 to the housing 11 of the magnetic valve.

Should the electronic circuit be made to function by the built-incircuit operating antenna or operated by a corresponding means, it firstopens the magnetic valve by means of the magnetic coil to permit flowthrough the valve, since under the influence of the magnet coil, themagnetic circuit bolt is attracted, therewith the valve cap is removedfrom the valve seat and the passage opened. The water stream proceedsthus from the hot and cold water mixing chamber, to the water outlet,the mixture corresponding to those settings of the rotatable knobs ofthe magnetic valves. The passage cross-section of the valve can nowadditionally be changed through operation of the rotatable knobs.Thereby, the total water outflow, as well as the proportions of hot andcold water can be regulated. This means, that first of all, the wateroutflow is controllable by means of the associated switch or anothercircuit. With this so far as it treats of the associated circuit, thehygienic requirements are completely met. If it should happen, after thevalves are opened, that the water requires regulation in run-off volumeor temperature, such regulation can be done with the hand rotatableknobs with the prewashed hands. Thereby, the output, as it occurs in thewhole predominant extent in practice, is satisfied, in connection withwhich no expensive circuit arrangements and constructions are requiredas, for example, thermostats, special switch boxes, cut-off valvesseparate from the fixture for the hot and cold water supply, etc.

Between magnetic shift bolt or plunger 20 and magnetic stop bolt 22, aengaging piece 25 can be provided, which is connected with the stop bolt22 and with the head 26 lying against a shoulder 27 adjacent the innerend of magnetic shift bolt 20. This engaging piece 25 permits anactuation of the fixture if once the current should fail and theelectronic circuit can not operate it. With this engaging piece, themagnetic bolt 20 can be actuated with the aid of the rotatable knob 7,so that by means of the knob 7 not only can the passage area of thevalve be changed, but also the fundamental flow-through can beaccomplished by lifting the valve cap from the valve seat. With thisarrangement, there is the great advantage that the fixture remains inworking order even with eventual current failure.

Moreover, the magnetic shifting bolt 20 can in known ways have in itsjacket surface, a longitudinal groove so that the water pressure acts onthe back side of the valve cap 19 when the valve is closed to reinforcethe action of the restoring spring 21.

The membrane 33 comprises, in a known way, a plastic part 33a and astretchable elastomeric part 33b. It is provided with a boring 33c whichtakes care of the admission of water to the opposite or back side of themembrane so that the water pressure holds the valve closed. Acylindrical perforation 33d takes care of the connection for waterdischarge from the valve when the magnetic bolt 20 is lifted. Themembrane 33, stretched at its circumference, but still freely movable,can be arched upwardly and provide an open passage.

The tubular sleeve 31 fits closely on the packing tube 34, moreover acircumferential joint 35 is provided in the wall of tubular sleeve 31which cooperates with the packing tube 34. The tubular sleeve 31 hasadditionally a longitudinal slot 36 in which a sliding stud 37 ofpacking tube 34 slides. Thereby, a strictly longitudinal movement of thetubular sleeve 31, without rotation is guaranteed.

In order now to guarantee manual operation of the fixture with thisdevice in case of emergency, the tubular sleeve 31 is provided at theend thereof, nearest the membrane 33, with an interior projecting flange38 which cooperates with a corresponding shoulder 39 of the magneticshifting bolt 20. By these means, the magnetic bolt 20, together withthe membrane 33, e.g., upon current failure, can be lifted manually bythe rotating knob of the volume regulator so that the fixture remainsfully operable.

According to FIG. 3, magnetic valve 5 is screwed into the fixturehousing 2 containing the inlet 15 and the outlet 1, and rotatable knob7, which is hand operable, is provided as in the first embodiment, but amembrane valve is employed. The rotatable knob 7 grips the magnetic coil9. A tubular sleeve 31 slides in the enclosed space within coil 9, whichcooperates with the rotatable knob 7 because of the rear side attachmentwith threads 32. In the tubular sleeve 31, the magnetic shifting bolt 20is arranged with the restoring spring 21. Through displacement of thetubular sleeve by means of the rotating knob 7, the freedom of movementof the membrane 33 can be limited, whereby also any desired volume ofpassage for the medium can be determined.

As already mentioned, the electronic circuit can be of any known typewhich is made to operate when the hand or a body is brought intoproximity to the antenna thereof.

I claim:
 1. In an outlet fixture for mixing and discharging two fluidmedia, such as hot and cold water, of the type wherein the discharge ofthe media is controlled by an electronic circuit having an antenna whichcooperates with magnetic valve means which is operated when the hand orsimilar object is brought into proximity with said antenna, theimprovement comprising a base portion including a mixing chamber for thefluid media, two media supply pipes for supplying the respective fluidsto the mixing chamber, two magnetic valves for controlling the flow offluids to the mixing chamber connected to said base portion, a singledischarge means connected to the base portion to receive the mixedfluids from the mixing chamber and discharge same from the front side ofthe fixture, said base portion also including said electronic circuitand its associated antenna, said antenna being positioned in the frontside of the base portion, a pair of hand operable rotatable knobs, onefor each of said magnetic valves, said knobs being manually adjustablefor establishing the maximum of flow through the respective valves, atleast one of said magnetic valves comprising a shifting bolt and amagnetic impact bolt, an engaging piece fastened on the magnetic impactbolt extending between the magnetic shifting bolt and the magneticimpact bolt, shoulder means on the interior of the shifting bolt, saidengaging piece having a head lying against said shoulder means wherebysaid valve may be manually operated in the event of a power failure.